Between work and homework and a late-wake-up-morning, and allergies (just shoot me) it’s been a long day. But not in all a bad day; namely a tiring one. But there is always, always a silver lining.

This morning, whilst looking for my “photo of the day,” I found myself at a loss and turned once again to knick-knacks, of which I have many. I closed in on the image you see above. It’s a tree, with the branches made of wire and the leaves made from stones. There used to be more of it, but I cut off one of the branches and gave it to a friend when I was younger. I won this knick-knack in a raffle in sixth grade, and I saved up tickets for it for months. I wanted it so very badly. I was bidding for it against a friend, whom I liked, but not enough to just surrender. In this end, obviously, I got it, and I cut off one of the branches and gave it to her. My sixth grade teacher said she brought it from Brazil (where she had lived, briefly) and I think that the idea of owning something from a different continent allured me more than anything else, though the tree is truly lovely. As you can see in the image, it has amassed a lot of dust over the last nine years, but it’s still one of my favourite knick-knacks. Thinking about it and it’s simplistic beauty and middle school this morning made me happy.

This evening, I looked out the window at work shortly before sunset, and the sky was marvellous. There were huge cumulus clouds perched in the sky, and they were tinted not just one colour, but a rainbow of colours. The upper tips of the clouds were gold, and that faded down to a soft pink. In front of them, there were splashes of darker cirrus clouds. It was really beautiful, and they looked that was for nearly an hour. I wanted to kick myself for not having my camera with me. I wonder if anyone else noticed them?

The last few minutes of a night often present themselves with the greatest challenges. After dealing with a few people who I’d rather punch than smile at, I was able to leave and I stepped, flustered, into the sticky, humid night. My summer coolant is the driver’s side window rolled down (something’s wonky about the passenger’s side), so I impressed upon that and tried to position myself so the headlights of the impatient driver behind me weren’t in my eyes. Even though the humidity and the bright lights bothered me, I was comforted by the music. Usually, I don’t have a lot of faith in my Zen’s shuffle feature (it likes to play the same few songs every two or three songs) but tonight, it was great. It started with “Echo Park” by Ryan Cabrera, a song that reminds me of the image of standing on a ledge by the ocean and feeling the wind in my hair. Second was “To Life” from Fiddler on the Roof. That song has many memories attache to it, all good. Third was “Kodachrome” by Simon and Garfunkel. The first line of that song always makes me grin: “when I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.” I sometimes feel that way about life in general. Fourth, also Simon and Garfunkel, was “Feelin’ Groovy”. The title of this entry comes from that song, as well as the telling line “slow down, you move to fast”. A good reminder. And as I pulled into my driveway, “Curve of the Earth” by Matt Nathanson, one of my top five favourite songs, came on. So, after a long, flustered day… Zen- thank you for the music.

I had a peculiar dream last night that has been haunting me all day. See, I never have recurring dreams, but I have a few very vivid recurring places and faces. Last night’s dream was a recurring place and face. I guess I’ve taken too many psychology classes, or maybe Inception still has me thinking about dreams… but I can’t get the images out of my head. I can only remember glimpses, in bright, beautiful colour, and feelings. Very few words, and definitely no “plot”. I really enjoy dreaming because it gives me a beautiful world to escape into and harp on all day. And, thank goodness, I rarely have nightmares.

Tonight, I hope that same dream visits me again; which it’s sunshiney neighborhood and the big grey house, the tall man with brown hair, and the fields of blueberry bushes. In my dreams, I feel like a queen, and there’s nothing to bring me down or hold me back. I am completely free.

something to think about

"You know, I don't know if you'll understand this or not, but sometimes, even when I'm feeling very low, I'll see some little thing that will somehow renew my faith. Something like that leaf, for instance - clinging to its tree despite wind and storm. You know, that makes me think that courage and tenacity are about the greatest values a man can have. Suddenly my old confidence is back and I know things aren't half as bad as I make them out to be. Suddenly I know that with the strength of his convictions a man can move mountains, and I can proceed with full confidence in the basic goodness of my fellow man. I know that now. I know it." ~ End of Act I in the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.